THE ECONOMIST: FINDING COMMON GROUND WITH BRITISH MUSLIMS V. ENSURING SECURITY

Great Britain has a long history of interacting with its Muslim population and has often acted with grace and shrewdness when approaching solutions to conflicts.  However now there is a tension between the government’s attempts to promote closing the gap separating the British Muslims from the rest of the population and ensuring national security in the wake of a terrorist attack that killed 56 Brits.  The key to peaceful cohesion of the entire population of Great Britain, including Muslims, is to promote the agency of moderate, educated Muslims. 

Question to the Blogosphere:  Do you think that common ground can be found between Muslims (who may be secular) and the British government?  What actions could be taken by the British government to encourage development of common ground between members of British society?  How do you prevent the expansion of Radical Islam in Britain?  Why is it so much harder to negotiate with British Muslims now than it has been in the past?  Is Islam a religion only–or a culture and a separate religion that share the same history and name?